We tell stories for many reasons, but one of the best reasons is to teach our kids (or remind ourselves!) how to navigate in the world. Weāve all read Aesopās Fables and at the end, the moral lesson is spelled out. This ruins the conversations you can have with someone else about what the story was about. Instead of feeling entertained, we feel like we were being told what to think and how to feel. As a writer, I love to include multiple themes in a book so that, depending on the age of the reader, or how many times the story is read, new ideas jump out of the book and into your brain.
I like to chat, and like most other people, whether itās because Iām thinking about something else, or busy, or just simply not paying attention, sometimes I ālisten,ā but I donāt āhear.ā Wordy Birdy is a fun read with a great reminder about why it is so important to listen to others and pay attention to our surroundings.
Meet Wordy Birdy, a very chatty bird who talks WAY more than she listens! A hilarious new story from Tammi Sauer, beloved author of Nugget & Fang, Chicken Dance, and My Alien.
Wordy Birdy LOVES to talk. āHello, sunrise. Hello, pink sky. Hello, orange sky!ā But does she love to listen? NOPE. One day, while sheās walking through the forest, her gift of the gab gets her into hot water: āThatās a pretty tree and thatās a pretty tree and thatās a pretty danger sign and thatās a pretty tree. . . .ā Will this inattentive bird walk right intoā¦
This beautifully illustrated book gently teaches that an act of kindness is always returned ten-fold. While my youngest child may not understand the biggest lesson in this book until he reads it to his own children, he did understand that helping others is always a good deed, and that sometimes we have to delay fulfilling our own wants and put others before ourselves. I read this book to my children over and over again, not only because we loved knights and tales of medieval times, but because the book has so much heart and soul in it, that it begs to be taken off the shelf.
This is the tale of a brave knight who sets out one day to serve his King. But as he rides toward the castle, frightened travelers seek the knight's aid and protection. Though he resists, something inside will not allow him to refuse. He presses on, but his mission is delayed again and again as the knight stops to help those in need.
Has he been loyal to the King by following his heart, or has he been an errant knight after all?
Dressed to kill and ready to make rent, best friends Lisa and Jamie work as āpaid to partyā girls at the Rose City Ripe for Disruption gala, a gathering of Portland's elite.
Their evening is derailed when Lisa stumbles across Ellen, a ruthless politician and Lisaās estranged mother. And toā¦
Everyone needs a good friend and often when we make a new friend it invites others into our lives as well. This sweet rhyming book teaches a great lesson about what makes a good friendāand itās not because they look just like you and like doing all the things you like doingābut revels in the differences that make each friend unique and celebrates the things friends do share in common.
The Sea Lion's Friend is the tale of an unlikely friendship between a sea lion and a sea gull--two inseparable buddies who do all kinds of fun things together. Readers will be touched by this tale of best friendship. As with all Shankman & O'Neill books, the bouncing, Seussian rhymes and colorful illustrations make this a story to read again and again!
One word: hilarious! In typical tall tale fashion, The Dirty Cowboy teaches a humorous lesson about keeping our body clean. As the mother of 4 boys, it was easy to draw parallels in my childrenās lives and the cowboy in the book in order to coax them into the bathtubā¦even if it would take a good roll in the dirt the next day to get the dog to recognize them again.
After he finds a tumbleweed in his chaps and the numerous bugs buzzing around him affect his hearing, the cowboy decides it's time to head to the river. Once there, he peels off all his clothes and tells his trusty old dog to guard them against strangers. He takes a refreshing bath and emerges clean as corn ā but so fresh-smelling that his dog doesn't recognize him! Negotiations over the return of the clothes prove fruitless. A wrestling match ensues in a tale that grows taller by the sentence, climaxing in a fabric-speckled dustā¦
The Secret Order of the Scepter & Gavel
by
Nicholas Ponticello,
Vanderough University prepares its graduates for life on Mars. Herbert Hoover Palminteri enrolls at VU with the hope of joining the Martian colony in 2044 as a member of its esteemed engineer corps. But then Herbert is tapped to join a notorious secret society: the Order of the Scepter andā¦
Everyone knows the story of the three little pigsā¦or do you? I love this book because it teaches us that when we change our perspective, we see a new side of a story. Looking at something from a different angle helps develop compassion and empathy for others, which is a great thing for everyone, not just the kids! Plus, the book is funny, and who doesnāt like funny?
Esmerelda Dragon works the spotlight at the Metropolitan Ballet but what she really wants to do is dance. Encouraged by her friend, Harold, to audition, Esmerelda takes a leap of faith only to discover that she doesnāt quite fit in with the other ballerinas. But Esmerelda isn't ready to give upāand neither is Harold!
Funny Folk Tales for Children
by
Allison Galbraith,
These are the funniest folktales in the world. You will be amazed at the intelligent animals and LOL at the ridiculous scrapes the humans get themselves into in these short stories. Discover why dogs are our best friends, learn how to change a cow into a zombie, and meet aā¦